Comments on: The HP Saga: Surveillance – is this the HP Way? http://www.robhyndman.com/2006/09/06/surveillance-is-this-the-hp-way/ any technology distinguishable from magic is not sufficiently advanced Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:33:03 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: lslssld http://www.robhyndman.com/2006/09/06/surveillance-is-this-the-hp-way/comment-page-1/#comment-14087 lslssld Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:11:16 +0000 http://www.robhyndman.com/2006/09/06/surveillance-is-this-the-hp-way/#comment-14087 HP Board lacks integrity The spying scandal is a sorry comedown for a company that HAD a reputation for excellence and integrity. The board's actions have been more of the CYA variety than of truthfulness. * WHAT PHONE RECORDS? The board played dumb when they realized that directors' phone records were used in the leak investigation. No one asked, "How did we get these records?" * BOARD MEMBER RESIGNED FOR "PERSONAL REASONS": Perkins resigned in May. HP resisted proper reporting to the SEC of the reasons for Perkins' resignation until the past few days. * STONEWALLING: Dunn and Hurd have made only weak apologies. Dunn has been far more strident about tracing the leaks from an individual than about the corporate breech of integrity in fraudulent investigations. * PROTECTING CRIMINALS: HP has refused to identify the private investigation firm or the third party investigators who are suspected of doing the pretexting. * WEAK APPEASEMENT: Recent announcement of Board changes are weak. 1. Dunn remains chair for 4 MONTHS. 2. She remains on the Board. 3. She will be replaced by Mark Hurd, who is also CEO and President. 4. The Board will backtracking on its new rule, that the Chair and CEO would be different people. This weakens HP's Corporate Governance. If the Board had any integrity, it would have acted... * immediately, upon learning of wrong doing * without coverup, without excuses * without compromise to the offenders The Board must demand Dunn's resignation from the Board. (There will be more legal fallout for HP if she remains, than if she leaves and HP cooperates fully with the California State, Federal, Congressional, SEC and FBI investigations). The Board needs to have a non-executive Chair. There needs to be a check on the CEO. The Board must make a public statement, repudiating in the strongest terms, the tactics used by its private investigators, and reiterating its stand on corporate integrity. The Board must take ACTION to convince the business and investment community that it is determined to regain the mantle of integrity and excellence it once had under Hewlett and Packard. HP Board lacks integrity

The spying scandal is a sorry comedown for a company that HAD a reputation for excellence and integrity.

The board’s actions have been more of the CYA variety than of truthfulness.

* WHAT PHONE RECORDS? The board played dumb when they realized that directors’ phone records were used in the leak investigation. No one asked, “How did we get these records?”

* BOARD MEMBER RESIGNED FOR “PERSONAL REASONS”: Perkins resigned in May. HP resisted proper reporting to the SEC of the reasons for Perkins’ resignation until the past few days.

* STONEWALLING: Dunn and Hurd have made only weak apologies. Dunn has been far more strident about tracing the leaks from an individual than about the corporate breech of integrity in fraudulent investigations.

* PROTECTING CRIMINALS: HP has refused to identify the private investigation firm or the third party investigators who are suspected of doing the pretexting.

* WEAK APPEASEMENT: Recent announcement of Board changes are weak.
1. Dunn remains chair for 4 MONTHS.
2. She remains on the Board.
3. She will be replaced by Mark Hurd, who is also CEO and President.
4. The Board will backtracking on its new rule, that the Chair and CEO would be different people. This weakens HP’s Corporate Governance.

If the Board had any integrity, it would have acted…
* immediately, upon learning of wrong doing
* without coverup, without excuses
* without compromise to the offenders

The Board must demand Dunn’s resignation from the Board. (There will be more legal fallout for HP if she remains, than if she leaves and HP cooperates fully with the California State, Federal, Congressional, SEC and FBI investigations).

The Board needs to have a non-executive Chair. There needs to be a check on the CEO.

The Board must make a public statement, repudiating in the strongest terms, the tactics used by its private investigators, and reiterating its stand on corporate integrity.

The Board must take ACTION to convince the business and investment community that it is determined to regain the mantle of integrity and excellence it once had under Hewlett and Packard.

]]> By: robhyndman.com » Blog Archive » The HP Way … to Jail? http://www.robhyndman.com/2006/09/06/surveillance-is-this-the-hp-way/comment-page-1/#comment-12957 robhyndman.com » Blog Archive » The HP Way … to Jail? Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:15:39 +0000 http://www.robhyndman.com/2006/09/06/surveillance-is-this-the-hp-way/#comment-12957 [...] The HP board surveillance scandal keeps expanding - HP Board Chair Patricia Dunn’s investigation - and the pretexting carried out under it - apparently also extended to the CNet reporters to whom leaks were made - perhaps because the brain trust that conceived this farce thought it would be nice to someday see the names Patricia Dunn and Richard Nixon in the same sentence (you saw it here first). CNet’s report is here. Yes, proof once more that truth is much, much stranger than fiction. [...] [...] The HP board surveillance scandal keeps expanding – HP Board Chair Patricia Dunn’s investigation – and the pretexting carried out under it – apparently also extended to the CNet reporters to whom leaks were made – perhaps because the brain trust that conceived this farce thought it would be nice to someday see the names Patricia Dunn and Richard Nixon in the same sentence (you saw it here first). CNet’s report is here. Yes, proof once more that truth is much, much stranger than fiction. [...]

]]> By: Ben Lucier http://www.robhyndman.com/2006/09/06/surveillance-is-this-the-hp-way/comment-page-1/#comment-12861 Ben Lucier Thu, 07 Sep 2006 14:36:18 +0000 http://www.robhyndman.com/2006/09/06/surveillance-is-this-the-hp-way/#comment-12861 I found the entire situation entertaining, but I'm mostly interested in the "pretexting" component of the story. Pretexting is "the collection of information about a person under false pretenses", which appears to be clearly what happened with Dunn's covert operation. In the US, under Federal law, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act specifically outlaws the act of pretexting. Based on my reading, it seems that some folks (HP counsel) don't believe the act of "pretexting" is illegal, at least in this case. I tend to oversimplify things and I'd love to hear an alternate view of pretexting legality, but right now it seems black and white to me: If a person contacts AT&T and pretends to be somebody they are not, in order to gain access to personal call records, that is illegal, right? I'm interested to see how this unfolds... especially where the hammer will fall - on Dunn, the person/company she hired that performed the pretexting, or both. I found the entire situation entertaining, but I’m mostly interested in the “pretexting” component of the story.

Pretexting is “the collection of information about a person under false pretenses”, which appears to be clearly what happened with Dunn’s covert operation. In the US, under Federal law, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act specifically outlaws the act of pretexting.

Based on my reading, it seems that some folks (HP counsel) don’t believe the act of “pretexting” is illegal, at least in this case.

I tend to oversimplify things and I’d love to hear an alternate view of pretexting legality, but right now it seems black and white to me:

If a person contacts AT&T and pretends to be somebody they are not, in order to gain access to personal call records, that is illegal, right?

I’m interested to see how this unfolds… especially where the hammer will fall – on Dunn, the person/company she hired that performed the pretexting, or both.

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